Insulated receptacle for panel and switch boards.



No. 809,864. Y PATENTED JAN. 9, 1906.

. W. C. TREGONING. INSULATED REOEPTAGLE FOR PANEL AND SWITCH BOARDS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.18,1905.

min/asses: Inv zm? a Mai-n 4 specification.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. TREGONING, OF PLAINVILLE, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE TRUMBULL ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF PLAIN- VILLE, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

INSULATED RECEPTACLE FOR PANEL AND SWITCH BOARDS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 9, 1906.

Application filed February 18, 1905. Serial No. 246,221.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. TREGONING, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plainville, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Insulated Receptacle for Panel and Switch Boards, of which the following is a The invention relates to a socket or receptacle for retaining a contact device which may be in the form of a fuse-plug, lamp-base, or other plug member for conveying electrical currents from a pair of conductors.

The object of the invention is to provide a central and convenient means for arranging the contact members of a receptacle upon a base in connection with an insulating-casing for protecting said parts.

A still further object is to provide a receptacle the parts of which may be assembled upon a base and subsequently inclosed by an insulating-shell, which may be locked in position through the medium of the receptacle and appurtenant parts.

A still further object is to provide an insulating-casing for a receptacle which may be readily removed or secured in place without disarranging the main parts of the receptacle.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan or face view of a base of insulating ma terial with the improved receptacle attached. Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 11; {r of Fig. 1. parts unassembled.

Heretofore, so far as known in the art, it has been common practice to use receptacles upon bases of insulating material, such as panels or switchboards, but so far as known these receptacles have been applied to the board as complete structures, including in terior contact members of various forms surrounded by and carried in a casing of insulating material. In the device hereinafter described there is shown a receptacle which may be assembled upon the face of the board, the insulating material for protecting the contact parts being applied separately and locked in place by means hereinafter described. The construction and arrangement of the several parts of the receptacle is such that it may be assembled piece by piece upon the front face of the switchboard, base, or panel, and after the metallic parts forming the contacts are in Fig. 3 is a detail view of the several place the insulating-casing may be put in place and securely locked with reference to the base and metallic contacts, completely inclosing and insulating the same.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes a base of insulating material, such as a panel or switchboard. Suitably arranged upon this panel are conductors 2 3, terminating within a screw-threaded tubular contact membera. The arrangementis such that one of the conductors, as 2, lies flat upon the base, while the end of the conductor 3 is offset and overlies the conductor 2. The conductor 3 has an enlarged end 5, which bears upon the bottom of the tubular threaded conductor i, and intermediate the bottom of the tubular conductor and the conductor 2 is a washer of insulating material 6. Overlying the end 5 of the conductor 3 is a second washer of insulating material 7, the arrangement of insulation being such that a stud 8, passing centrally through the contact member 4:, is completely insulated from the shell 4 and conductor 3. This stud is threaded and screws into a threaded opening in the conductor 2, thus binding the conductors and shell 4 firmly together. The conductors may of course be secured to the base in any desired manner, though this is preferably effected by arranging the headed screws of the terminals 9 so that they pass through the board from the rear and may be provided with threaded binding posts 10 to secure them in place.

With the parts in place and assembled as described an insulating-shell ll of any suitable material is passed over the shell 4:, completely inclosing it. This insulating-casing is of tubular form andis provided with transverse openings at its bottom, through which pass the conductors 2 and 3. At its top and upon the interior edge it is preferably beveled, as at 12, to cooperate with 'a locking-sleeve 13, which also has a flaring or beveled edge 14 arranged to lie within the bevel 12 and securely lock the insulating casing or tube 11 when secured in place.

As a convenient means of locking the insulating member 11 with reference to the contact-shell i the tubular locking-sleeve 13 is provided with screw-threads arranged to engage the threaded surface of the shell 4, this being a convenient arrangement which does not alter the construction of the shell ordinarily provided for plug cut-outs, lampbases, and like parts. The locking-sleeve 13 may of course be locked to the shell in any desired manner so long as it secures the insulating member 11 with reference to said shell. The locking-piece 13 is preferably provided with openings 15, into which may be inserted a spanner or like tool for setting the parts in place.

It will be observed that the ordinary contact parts are not in any way disturbed by the arrangement of the insulating member nor by the locking-sleeve which secures said member, although said insulating-shell may be readily removed or secured in place with reference thereto and, in fact, all of the several parts may be assembled upon the face of the board.

The above-described features of removability and renewability are important ones, inasmuch as receptacles of the class described are often subject to rough usage and are readily broken, either as to the insulation or the entire receptacle, in which case all of the several parts may be renewed and assembled directly from the face of the board without more than ordinary trouble. Of course the insulating material being of a frangible compound it is more liable to breakage, and this may be renewed at the least possible expense and trouble without disturbing any of the metallic parts of the receptacle which are secured to the base.

Obviously various changes might be made in the details of this device without departing from the spirit or intent of the invention, and various means for locking the insulating casing or shell might be used so long as said locking means is intermediate the insulatingshelland the tubular contact-shell. Of course it is apparent that the locking-sleeve 13 in lieu of being threaded onto the shell 4 exteriorly might be arranged interiorly, in which case, however, some means should be provided for locking it to prevent its being unscrewed when the plug, lamp-base, or other part was removed or inserted in the receptacle.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In combination with a panel or switchboard provided with circuit-terminals, a pair of contact members removably attached to the panel and connected respectively with said circuit-terminals, a tubular insulating-casing inclosing said contacts and resting upon the panel and alocking member intermediate one of said contacts and the tubular insulating member for locking the latter in position upon the panel.

2. In combination with a panel or switchboard provided with circuit-terminals, a pair of contact members removably secured to the base and connected respectively with said circuit-terminals, a tubular insulating-shell fitting over said contacts and a locking member arranged to fit within the insulating-tube and engage the contact member whereby said insulating-tube is locked in position upon the panel.

3. In combination with a panel or switchboard provided with eircuit-conductors, a studeontact connected with one of said conductors, a threaded sleeve-contact engaging the other of said cond uetors but insulated from the studcontact, said parts being detachably mounted upon the panel, a shell of insulating material encircling said contacts and a locking-sleeve threaded to fit the threaded sleeve-contact and engage and lock the insulating-shell upon the panel.

4. In combination with a panel or switchboard provided with circuit-terminals, a center contact connected with one panel-terminal, a threaded sleeve-contact connected with the other panel-terminal and clamped in position on the panel by the center contact, a shell of insulating material surrounding the contacts and provided at its upper edge with a beveled surface, and a locking member having aflange overlying said beveled surface and provided with means for securing it to the threaded sleeve-contact whereby the insulating-sleeve is locked in position upon the panel.

WILLIAM G. TREGONING.

\Vitnesses:

J. R. TRUMBULL, C. W. JONES. 

